Banks to Eisen: “The Best Revenge is Success”

Banks to Eisen: “The Best Revenge is Success”

Jay Adams

We’ve written a lot about Falcons rookie linebacker Brian Banks since his signing in March, but each step of his life since that day is not only fascinating, it’s worth documenting.

For those new to Banks’ incredible, heart-wrenching and inspiring story, the Falcons signed Banks in March about one year after being exonerated for a crime he didn’t commit — something he spent five years in prison for and another five on parole before finally being cleared. (Check out our Brian Banks: 101 for more)

A promising football talent in high school, Banks’ journey to the NFL was cut short by a charge and wrongful conviction for rape before he had a chance to play college ball. Now, more than 10 years since he last played football, he has a shot to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster.

It’s a story that Banks had told and re-told, but one that never seems to get the right amount of time to fully understand it. This week, Rich Eisen hosted Banks on his podcast for a lengthy, unfiltered chance to share his story and his journey.

“Going from a nobody to a somebody, it’s just been so much that has taken place in a year,” Banks told Eisen. “Football is No. 1, and I chose for it to be No. 1. A lot of people ask me, why am I not angry? Why am I not disappointed? Why don’t I want revenge? I feel like, you can be angry, but how you channel that energy and what you direct it towards is up to you. Instead of me sitting on my back with my hands out, asking for somebody to pay for what’s happened to me, I feel like the best revenge is success. So I chose to put on a hardhat and go to work rather than put on a sad face and complain.”